Neanderthals were separate species, new study finds

A new, simplified family tree of
humanity has dealt a blow to those who contend that
the enigmatic hominids known as Neanderthals
intermingled with our forebears.

Neanderthals were a separate species to Homo sapiens,
as anatomically modern humans are known, rather than
offshoots of the same species, the new organigram
published Sunday by the journal Nature declares.

The method, invented by evolutionary analysts in
Argentina, marks a break with the conventional
technique by which anthropologists chart the twists
and turns of the human odyssey.